Voices 02 2019

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VOICES 02

For the 2019 edition of ‘Voices’ we bring our attention to the sea and some of the people who thrive there, we reveal the process behind the creation of our fragrances, and share some thoughts about what we’ve learned along the way.

It’s an important year for our small company as we launch our first body care range while also reinventing one of our original fragrances - Hav. Subtitled ‘Distant Shores’, the new sea fragrance is designed to leave an impression of the vast Nordic coastline, a meeting place where the cold Baltic and Atlantic waters touch the peninsula, and the fresh wind and sea spray carry the resilient scents of the rugosa rose and hawthorn from the shoreline.

We invite you to discover distant Scandinavian shores.

VELKOMMEN . VÄLKOMMEN . TERVETULOA

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HAV

Fårö, Gotland

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DISTANT SHORES

Imagine a great land hidden at the end of a long rocky track. A land populated by silent forests, silvery lakes, secluded islands and endless seas.

Where nature dominates and seasons dictate. A land larger than Germany, France and Italy but one-tenth of the people. With more boats and bicycles than those owning them, and a border to continental Europe just sixty kilometres long.

This is a land that has plotted its own course, shaped a different way of living over centuries.

Where community, consciousness and timeless values of trust, equality, respect thrive. Where its inhabitants place the greatest priority on life balance, on fellowship, family and friends, and on everyday moments of shared happiness.

Romantic? Idealistic? We think not. It’s genuine, and it’s something everyone should experience.

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DET ER DEN DRAUMEN Olav H. Hauge, 1966

Det er den draumen me ber på at noko vedunderleg skal skje, at det må skje — at tidi skal opna seg at hjarta skal opna seg at dører skal opna seg at berget skal opna seg at kjeldor skal springa — at draumen skal opna seg, at me ei morgonstund skal glida inn på ein våg me ikkje har visst um.

IT IS THE DREAM Olav H. Hauge, Norwegian horticulturalist and poet, 1966

It’s that dream that we carry with us that something wonderful will happen, that it has to happen, that time will open, that the heart will open, that doors will open, that the mountains will open, that wells will leap up, that the dream will open, that one morning we’ll slip in to a harbour that we’ve never known.

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ON ICY WATERS AND COLD DIPS HELGA ISAGER . KNITWEAR DESIGNER

My first time was in an ice-covered lake somewhere in northern Finland. I was on a business trip, and one of my colleagues is a passionate winter bather. Rather recklessly, I suggested I’d go with her on a weekend trip to one of the many Finnish lakes, and something made me insist, even though she clearly thought it was a bit strange, that traditional Finnish winter bathing was my preferred tourist activity when we could have gone shopping or to a museum.

The air was clear and crisp and the lake was covered with a thick layer of ice and surrounded by majestic pine trees. Small, ramshackle, wooden sheds were scattered around it, half covered in snow, like some giant from the woods had by chance dropped them on his way to the water. As it turned out, they were saunas and, as we approached this idyllic, fantasy-like scenery, staggering in knee-high snow, another surprising sight greeted me: A group of middle-aged men, stark naked except for their coloured, knitted hats, in front of a barbecue grilling sausages, cracking jokes and having a great time.

At first, I found it hilarious and perhaps the obvious lack of shyness also made me a bit uncomfortable. However, I quickly learned to appreciate this special Finnish tradition of socialising in the nude.

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BELLEVUE . COPENHAGEN

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LIMITED EDITION SKANDINAVISK X TEKLA BATHROBE 13

A few metres from the shore, there was a hole in the ice and, after a few moments of hesitation, I entered. The cold was, of course, shocking. However, that soon turned into an indescribable high, which I imagine must be similar to the experience of taking drugs.

It’s impossible to be depressed, or even just a bit low, when you get out of the water after only a few minutes. The blood is rushing, endorphins are set free, and the overall sensation in your mind and body is an all-consuming explosion of happiness. Afterwards, I found myself sitting on a bench wearing my bathing suit in minus 10 degrees Celsius, giggling like a schoolgirl, just waiting for my next dip. That day, I went back and forth between the sauna and the hole in the ice three times – and suddenly my colleague didn’t think my going to the lake was all that crazy after all.

Since my Finnish experience, I have bathed all year round, including during winter. I live with my family in a typical city apartment in central Copenhagen, so I bike to the harbour, get in for a quick dip, and bike home as fast as I can, which gives an effect somewhat similar to when you go to the sauna to get warmed up. Also, I spend three months a year in the small town of Tversted in Northern Jutland, where I grew up and where my company has its headquarters. Here, my winter-bathing is taken to another level. I have always loved and felt closely connected to this area – the great, open landscape of endless sand dunes, stretches of heathland and, of course, the brutal beauty of the sea itself. It is as if my mind clears and my batteries get charged when I am there; unconfined and free and close to nature. When I’ve not been to Tversted for a while, I start to get this almost physical longing to go for a walk along the coast – and, of course, to take a dip.

Summer or winter; in rain, snow or sun.

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FRAGRANCE & FLORA

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THE PROCESS OF CREATION

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While we are not perfumers, we like to think of ourselves as educated ambassadors of Scandinavia. Having lived here since the turn of the millennium, we have a healthy knowledge of the flora, climate and lifestyles of the Scandinavian region and peoples.

So, rather than follow the herd and use common scent accords and then dress them up to promise something special, we always aim to create the most authentic fragrance impressions of the Scandinavian region as possible - a region few understand in olfactory terms and a region of limited relevant industry history.

We start by identifying an aspect of the region, a theme, that is both precious to its inhabitants and exotic to the outside world. More often than not, this is based on our experiences from over fifteen years of travelling across the Nordic region in our former jobs working for big American multinationals and as foreign immigrants who married into the region. We are aided by two important people: Firstly, the Danish gardener, who grew up in Sweden and spent her summers in Norway, and has had a passion for gardening since early childhood. She knows how and what to plant in soils that freeze and seasons with short amounts of sunlight. She helps us understand the theme, what grows there and when, and - more often than not - we go visit.

Our Copenhagen garden is also a constant source of experimentation and inspiration with more than one hundred rose varieties growing alongside a cornucopia of temperate flora.

Secondly, our gentleman French perfumer, who helps us interpret that theme through a combination of artistry and chemistry. He regularly visits Scandinavia to build his own understanding of this region; we cycle in Copenhagen, swim in Swedish lakes, and trek through the forests and coastline together. He learns our region, we learn the magic of perfumery. We don’t always get it right, but it’s not for lack of trying.

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ALBA RO S E Centuries-old, and tolerant of harsher climates, this modest rose reveals its pink-white blooms once only in mid-summer.

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HAV Scandinavian for ‘sea’ A new impression of the vast Nordic coastline, a meeting place where the cold Baltic and Atlantic waters touch the peninsula, and the fresh wind and sea spray carry the resilient scents of the rugosa rose and hawthorn from the shoreline.

S KOG Swedish/Norwegian for ‘forest’ Boreal forests cover half of Scandinavia stretching unbroken from the far south to the Arctic Circle.

A morning mist of spruce and pine needles, of woodland lily of the valley, musk and aged leather.

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ØY Norwegian for ‘island’

FJOR D Norwegian

Silken lakes, secluded islands, silent forests.

Memories of rowing to a deserted island, the slippery touch of damp rockmoss underfoot, and the fragrant green embrace of dog-rose and crabapples.

Coniferous forests, crashing waterfalls and abundant fruits magnify the drama of the Norwegian fjords. With joyous notes of ripening apple, plum and pear orchards, blackcurrants and raspberry flowers.

BÆR Danish/Norwegian for ‘berry’ Reminisces of family trips to the forest to forage for cloudberries, blueberries and lingonberries, of sweet-smelling reductions on the stove and warm, zingy sauces poured over ice cream.

HYGGE Danish for ‘cosiness’ A reflection of the Scandinavian art of creating intimacy, fellowship and cosiness in the smallest everyday moments. With echoes of smokey tea and baked strawberry cake, rose petals and picking wild mint.

RO Scandinavian for ‘tranquility’ Peace, calm and tranquility from the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. A subtle symphony of fresh cut grass and crumpled leaves, ambered woods and hidden blankets in the dunes.

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MO S S A flowerless plant commonly found in shaded locations as dense green clumps, soft on the feet with an earthy scent.

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LILY OF THE VALLE Y A small woodland flowering plant with a big reputation, the creamy scent hides a poisonous interior to deter predators.

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LYK K E Danish for ‘happiness’ Renowned as the world’s happiest nation, the secret to Danish happiness is in life balance and treasuring the everyday. An optimistic moment of spring snowdrops, lemon-nettle and apple-mint.

LEMPI Old Finnish for ‘love’ From the days when love was shamelessly romantic and best savoured in black and white. A timeless blend of rose and strawberry, garden peony and oakmoss.

KOTO Old Finnish for ‘cosy at home’ A sanctuary from the rugged Nordic climate, an intimate space to refresh the soul. Promising delicate notes of Baltic amber and schersmin blended with exotic mandarin and vanilla.

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LYS NING Danish for ‘forest glade’ The dense boreal forest canopy occasionally reveals glades and clearings, hidden escapes where the sunlight touches the ground and the flora responds in abundance.

HEIA Norwegian for ‘heathland’ The rough, exposed terrain in the higher altitude fells of Norway and Sweden offers a colourful home to hardy shrubs, wild herbs and berries, and fragrant hills of heather.

RO S ENHAVE Danish for ‘rose garden’ Nordic rose gardens are precious places, exposed to the raw climate only the hardiest varieties, and most careful owners, can expect their fragile fragrance blushes to survive and prosper after the long, frozen winters.

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HE ATHER The national flower of Norway, the low-growing Purple Heather perennial shrub is most often found in open land and acidic soils.

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BLÅ /

BLUE

MØRKEBLÅ / KONGEBLÅ /

DARK BLUE

ROYAL BLUE

HAVETS BLÅ /

SEA BLUE

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INTRODUCING OUR NEW FLAXSEED BODY SCRUB, SOURCED FROM FINLAND AND BLENDED IN DENMARK.

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MADE IN SCANDINAVIA

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THE NEW ’HAV - DISTANT SHORES’ HAND & BODY CARE RANGE, WITH EXTRACT OF ROCKWEED, DESIGNED TO NOURISH AND PROTECT SKIN FROM HARSH CLIMATES.

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OF SALTY AIR AND FERTILE SOIL BI RKEMO SEG AARD KØ KK E N BY MA R IE H E R T Z & MA R T IN K V E D E R IS

The farm we are a part of sits on the coastline of the narrow north-western tongue of Sjælland, locally known as the Odde, facing due north toward the Swedish port of Gøteborg and the Oslo fjord, via the shallow, choppy waters of the Kattegat. The farm, Birkemosegaard, has been managed by four generations of the same family, the Andersens, and there are a dozen people employed on the farm itself plus a handful more in the store and the restaurant which we manage.

Birkemosegaard has been an organic and biodynamic farm since the 1960’s, one managed on the principle of giving more back to the soil than which is taken. The farm prioritises the natural symbiosis between soil fertility, plant growth and livestock, and focuses on distributing our produce to people in the local area. Thus, the farm has long been the supplier of a diversity of vegetables, wheat, barley, rye, fruit and berries, together with a fertilizing population of over one hundred cattle, to some of the leading restaurants of the ‘New Nordic Cuisine’ movement, including established names Noma, Geranium, Amass and Relæ. So it seemed a natural place for us to open our own small restaurant directly on the land from which the earth reveals its most pure bounty.

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We live as one with the seasons and weather patterns, adapting our daily routines and our menus to the harvest of the moment. The job demands an inherent understanding of what the soil is telling us, and our pleasure is derived from repaying that knowledge with food that respects and celebrates its origin . Thus the dishes we create, inevitably, are based on all the ingredients growing around us, each prepared simply, individually and without frivolity, all the best to reveal every unique texture and taste, and to reduce, to an absolute minimum, the journey from soil to fork. In the summer we even bring the tables outdoors to sit directly on the earth from which we eat. It’s a way of being that too many people appear to have forgotten, but it’s one we can’t imagine living without.

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MULIGHEDERNES LIDENSKAB Søren Kierkegaard, 1843

Skulle jeg ønske mig noget, da ville jeg ikke ønske mig rigdom eller magt, men mulighedernes lidenskab.

Det øje som overalt, evigt ungt, evigt brændende ser muligheder.

Nydelsen skuffer, Muligheden ikke.

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A FRAGMENT OF LIFE Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and poet, 1843

If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible.

Pleasure disappoints, possibility never.

And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating, as possibility!

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ESCAPE

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Atoklinten, Lappland

TO NATURE

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ON ROSE GARDENING IN THE NORTH LENE LØVBJERG RUSSELL . ROSE GARDENER AND DOCTOR

As we step through the wet grounds of the garden, leaves wilted and strewn beneath our feet, I reach for a rose. It’s a shocking purple, the petals already beginning to hang heavily from its body, the head drooping downwards. Still; that vibrant colour. The heady smell.

I put my nose right in the centre, breathing it in. It clings to the nose like a length of velvet, petals pressed tightly against my face.

When I first began growing roses almost fifteen years ago at our home in Stockholm, I had this idea of the romantic English rose garden. I soon discovered that would not be possible when combined with such challenging Nordic weather. Instead, I discovered something less perfect, and in that imperfection, true beauty that can be cultivated over time. When my family and I moved to Copenhagen several years later, I continued rose gardening and now have over one hundred and twenty varieties of rose surrounding our family home.

Because of the winters in Scandinavia, we can’t create perfect gardens. We have to accept the plants dying, and then coming back again. There’s a lot of patience involved.

Despite this, some roses can flower as many as three times a year, others twice, most just the once, but when they’re in bloom every single one is like a gift.

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I spend a lot of time researching roses. I love this work, but it definitely is work. I notice when a rose isn’t happy in its selected position and, if so, I will dig it up and relocate it until I find the ideal spot. I take care to plant tightly, and to combine roses with other friendly temperate flora, such as tulips, alliums, and lilies, so to get the beds to bloom continuously from early spring. For the more delicate, weather-sensitive types such as my collection of tea roses, I grow these in our sunken greenhouse; they simply wouldn’t survive outdoors through the long winter months. My garden is completely organic, I never spray pesticides, indeed there is nothing better for the soil than the fresh manure I collect from the Carlsberg brewery’s carriage horse stables nearby.

Rose gardening in Scandinavia isn’t all bracing against the weather, though. The extremely light summers make for an incredible seasonal blooming. It’s amazing how much you can produce in the summers here and, though they may look delicate, most roses are tougher than we assume. I used to cover all of my roses every winter with branches from the neighbours’ discarded Christmas trees, but I don’t do that any longer since most of them survive better in the milder Danish climate. Thanks to the cold, there are less diseases too, so the plants can stay quite strong throughout the year.

Growing roses in a climate like Scandinavia is an exercise in planning, patience and persistence, for the pursuit of beauty; a worthy endeavour in my mind. Taking time to put my hands in the earth and be connected with the roses is very primal and full of visceral pleasure. That’s why I don’t grow any rose without a scent, as smelling the roses is a huge part of how I enjoy my plants.

As I walk through my garden, I am reminded of the story of each rose bush; I know them like old friends. This one was the sister of an earlier variant, that one has a strong perfume. I love the way this one droops, or the colour of those petals. My connection to my roses is in the way I work to keep them thriving in challenging terrain.

Roses can take four to five years from the time they are planted to full blush. But give them the time they need, and the reward is pure pleasure.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE AREN’T THINGS / ANTHONY J. D’ANGELO

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THE 10 HAPPIEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD (2015-2017) SOURCE: WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2018

1. FINLAND

(7.632)

2. NORWAY

(7.594)

3. DENMARK

(7.555)

4. ICELAND

(7.495)

5. SWITZERLAND

(7.487)

6. NETHERLANDS

(7.441)

7. CANADA

(7.328)

8. NEW ZEALAND (7.324) 9. SWEDEN

(7.314)

10. AUSTRALIA

(7.272) 0

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Explained by: GDP per capita

Explained by: generosity

Explained by: social support

Explained by: perceptions of corruption

Explained by: healthy life expectancy

Dystopia (1.92) + residual

Explained by: freedom to make life choices

95% confidence interval

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WHEN DID SCANDINAVIA CAPTURE MY SOUL ?

Scandinavia creeps up on you, it doesn’t happen overnight. For a start, it’s not the first part of the world one hears about, or aspires toward, in these noisy, globalised times.

What’s more, after moving there for the love of one of its blonde offspring, I initially found Scandinavians to be a somewhat dull, unfriendly, hard to fathom population. People are closed, direct, blunt even, and they didn’t seem to go the extra mile professionally.

But the Scandinavian countries regularly feature in the top of those global surveys that relate to the important things in life - innovation, clean energy, trust, democracy, quality of life, happiness. So there must be some spark hidden in the general calm. There is, but it’s not immediately visible. Indeed, when I finally began to understand the fundamental differences in their approach to life, family, community, society and nature it was ten years after I had arrived. What I belatedly realised is that they think differently about life and what’s important, but they don’t think to make a fuss about it, they just get on with it.

They weren’t given the best start - long distances, isolated communities, harsh climate, lack of sun, frozen soils, a tiny fraction of which is suitable for agriculture.

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SELECTED SOURCES United Nations, World Happiness Report 2018: Finland (1st), Norway (2nd), Denmark (3rd), Iceland (4th), Sweden (8th) United Nations, Human Development Index 2018: Norway (1st), Iceland (6th), Sweden (7th), Denmark (11th), Finland (15th) United Nations, Environmental Performance Index 2018: Denmark (3rd), Sweden (5th), Finland (10th), Iceland (11th), Norway (14th) WIPO, Global Innovation Index 2018: Sweden (3rd), Finland (7th), Denmark (8th), Norway (19th) Economist Intelligence Unit, Democracy Index 2017: Norway (1st), Iceland (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Denmark (5th), Finland (9th) Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2017: Denmark (2nd), Finland (-3rd), Norway (-3rd), Sweden (-6th), Iceland (13th) Eurostat, European Fertility Index 2018: Sweden (2nd), Denmark (5th), Iceland (6th), Norway (7th), Finland (12th)

Perhaps their early response to their surroundings seeded that resilience, sense of togetherness, and quiet determination to always improve things. Fast forward to the present day and things don’t appear to have changed a lot during the decades that passed. They remain driven by making life better for all, they think less of individual gain and more of broader societal, or local community, progress.

When I experience Scandinavia I see how the world can, or will, live in the future.

It’s exciting to be a part of societies at the right end of human development. Societies who look less at barriers and more at opportunities, who don’t excuse their lack of population or challenging geography and instead simply get on with improving things. While there are other progressive countries that the world needs to take more notice of, nowhere else is there a region of neighbouring countries where thought overlaps to such an extent, and who share such similar progress.

Indeed, it is not politics but the general mindset of a population that is the most powerful catalyst for progress. Because the Scandinavian mindset on life is a lesson for many louder, more tribal, voices elsewhere: respecting nature and adapting to it, prioritising the community over the individual, treating others as equals and trusting strangers, finding happiness in the everyday, responsibly trying to make life better. These are timeless, universal values, they are not exclusive to any nation or individual, and they exist everywhere. They are just more typical in Scandinavia, and this is what we celebrate.

But who are we, makers of fragranced products for the home and body, to make this point? Do we have any credibility at all? Probably not. Are we simply looking to sell more products? Probably, yes. But if we, in doing so, can inspire non-Scandinavians about the benefits of a more Scandinavian approach to life, and if we can remind Scandinavians of the example they set, then we believe we are contributing to something more positive and meaningful.

The world needs to listen to quieter voices.

Shaun Founder

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SKANDINAVISK .COM /SHOP

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TAK /

THANK YOU

Many thanks to the voices who contributed to this second edition.

To Marie and Martin, Helga and Lene for your stories.

To the people who contributed their time and talent. To Chris Tonnesen, Frederik Lindstrøm, Frida Edlund, Katrine Rohrberg, Leif Sigersen, Marie Monrad Graunbøl, Mikkel Tjellesen, Peter Theglev, Pia Winther, Rebecca Thandi Norman, Rikke Dengsø and Stine Christiansen.

SKANDINAVISK SR ApS Ny Vestergade 7B 1471 Copenhagen K Denmark +45 3164 0450 hej@skandinavisk.com skandinavisk.com

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“Happiness is a place between too little and too much” F I N N I SH P R O VER B

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